…as Okungbowa bags Head of Service Awards
The Edo State Government has said ongoing reforms in the state’s civil and public service by the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration will reposition the service to become world-class, ensuring efficient and effective service delivery to Edo people.
The Edo State Head of Service, Anthony Okungbowa Esq., said this when he was honoured as Head of Service of the Year 2022 by the Forward Newspaper, at the Government House, Benin City.
Receiving the award, Okungbowa described the civil service as the backbone of governance, reassuring the government’s commitment to ensuring an efficient and highly-motivated civil Service that is innovative and result-oriented.
The Head of Service who dedicated the award to the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, commended the Governor for prioritizing the welfare and well-being of Edo workers.
Okungbowa said, “The civil service constitutes the engine of government and Mr. Governor is very conscious of that and putting the needed machinery in place to ensure that the engine that services the government remains in top form.”
He listed some of the achievements of the present administration in the state including regular payment of workers' salaries and a raise in the workers' pay package at a time when most states are reneging on paying the statutorily approved national minimum wage of N30,000.
The HOS stated, “Edo State Government has increased the minimum wage from N30,000 to N40,000 and is not owing arrears of salaries and promotions.
“The Government has deliberately embarked on reforms in the service to ensure that it is repositioned. For instance, the government has remodeled and renovated offices to ensure that the work place is conducive.”
He reassured the government's commitment to building the capacity of the civil servants which is a key component of the reforms, resulting in the establishment of the John Odigie-Oyegun Public Service Academy, a world- class training institute to serve as a training ground for every Edo worker.